This came across my FB feed for whatever reason, and in all seriousness, WTAF?
Amy J. Rutenberg
@amyjay401.bsky.social
Historian of War, Gender, and the Modern U.S. Author of Rough Draft: Cold War Military Manpower Policy and the Origins of Vietnam-Era Draft Resistance. Working on a book on the effects of peace activism on the US military. Former high school teacher.
Can't get numb to this: The United States is stuck in a war it started, cannot end, and may further escalate to no avail, having dismantled its diplomatic apparatus, depleted its military stockpile, and destroyed its credibility. A historic strategic mistake harming millions in many different ways.
Four weeks away from home left an overwhelming pile of mail to sort upon homecoming. But this was a serious bright spot in the chaos. I struggled like hell to write my chapter, but I ended up with something I’m really proud of - and the company my chapter keeps cannot be beat. 🗃️
For the record, Army studies going all the way back to the 1950s(!) showed that LGB personnel neither undermined unit cohesion nor posed a security risk, not that lawmakers listened. Emotions are a powerful drug, especially, apparently, for male decision makers. taskandpurpose.com/news/ranger-...
Men at Ranger School face greater hormonal changes than women, study finds
Army researchers found that Ranger School had a greater impact on men's hormones and physiological responses than on women in the course.
taskandpurpose.com
This whole thing is pregnant with meaning (and yes, I said what I said). www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Pete Hegseth says soldiers over age 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency
US defense secretary unveils plan that will work to ensure service members have the ‘right testosterone levels’
theguardian.com
#OtD 14 Jul 1966 3 US GIs refused an order to deploy to Vietnam and became the Fort Hood Three, the highest-profile US refuseniks to date. They were court-martialled and jailed but they helped spark an anti-war GI movement. More info in our podcast: workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e10-...
I'm honored to be a (small) part of this wonderful volume along with Emma, Anndal, and esp Paul. It connects often siloed fields & ideas. It’s pricey, but have your library get it & use of the idea of "Military Welfare History" in your work & join @milwelfhist.bsky.social 🗃️
Military Welfare History Network@milwelfhist.bsky.social · last mo.Coming August 2027, the Military Welfare History Network's first edited volume. Courtesy of @paulhuddie.bsky.social @amyjay401.bsky.social @emmahuddlestone.bsky.social Order it now and use this promo code for 20% off. link.springer.com/book/9783032... #milwelfhist #military #welfare #veteran
I'm super biased, but this is a banger of a book (as academic edited collections go, anyway). Check out the amazing scholars who contributed to it and the nice thing reviewers have said here: kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700643530/. And while you're there, consider pre-ordering with the discount below. 🗃️
There is something visceral in the memories these evoke.
Bread is too expensive, so we’ve moved to the circus and circus stage of government.
Olga Nesterova@onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 2mo agoMeanwhile, at the White House this morning
This semester I experimented with making my students print out their readings.I thought I’d get slammed in evals.In an anonymous survey, 24 of 25 students praised the policy. Reasons ranged from fewer headaches to easier to annotate to harder to forget to read to better retention.Long live paper. 🗃️🗺️
I will make sure my student (who is in my class on the Vietnam War) who just got word he’s deploying knows we’re in a cease fire. Good thing he’s missing the last class where we’re discussing the War Powers Resolution. (Seriously. I couldn’t make this up)
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3mo agoHegseth on congressional approval: "Our view is that ultimately with the ceasefire, the clock stops"
Cover reveal! I am beyond excited for this book. Contributions from an amazing array of scholars have come together into a banger of a book. Even if it feels far away, we should all be paying attention to the assumptions that underlie systems of conscription as well as the consequences. #milhist 🗃️
This is obviously batshit on so many levels, but something particularly dystopian about the “you must skip that chapter of history” part.
Quinn Slobodian@quinnslobodian.com · 3mo ago"A history professor course could not allocate instructional time to the Stonewall riots or the gay rights movement. If a U.S. history textbook includes a chapter on the AIDS crisis, the professor must skip it." www.erininthemorning.com/p/texas-tech...
@warontherocks.bsky.social is a fantastic place to get cogent commentary. But also, I’m really appreciating the cogent nature of this headline - “Regime Change in Iran, Underpants Gnomes, and the Phase II Problem” warontherocks.com/regime-chang...
Regime Change in Iran, Underpants Gnomes, and the Phase II Problem
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu started the Iran war off with a bang — not just the bang of bombs and rockets,
warontherocks.com
Hello, I made you a feed of your cats watching the Artemis II splashdown bsky.app/profile/did:...
That tree guy 𓅃@somearborist.bsky.social · 4mo agoNow that they’re safe on the ground we.. ocean, I can make a joke OMG ARTEMIS IS IN TROUBLE WE’RE GETTING REPORTS OF A GIANT CAT BATTING THEM OUT OF THE SKY OH THE HUMANITY
Coming soon! My (and friends') new book: link.springer.com/book/9783032.... Enjoy #milwelfhist #military #welfare
Teaching a course on the Vietnam War this semester has been crazy. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution the day after the bombing started; My Lai and the laws of war as the Commander in Chief threatens war crimes; and now this on the morning I’m teaching the GI Movement. 🗃️🗺️ www.npr.org/2026/04/10/n...
There's growing disquiet in the military. The Iran war made it worse
Since Trump began his second term, his administration's use of the armed forces has left a growing number in the military unsettled, according to NPR interviews with service members and advocates.
npr.org
Beth Bailey, America’s Army Jennifer Mittelstadt, The Military Welfare State Brian Linn, Real Soldiering All top notch
hilzoy@hilzoy.bsky.social · 4mo agoQuestion: is there a good book on how the US Army (or the armed forces generally) was reformed and rebuilt after Vietnam?
Help #skystorians: a wonderful book came out a few years ago that connected the country music industry to the Vietnam war. I need to recommend it to a student, but for the life of me I can’t remember either the title or the author, and it’s not coming up in my scholar searches. What was it? 🗃️
Excited for this wonderful collection to see the light of day. Fantastic work from all involved, especially @paulhuddie.bsky.social and @emmahuddlestone.bsky.social 🗃️
Military Welfare History Network@milwelfhist.bsky.social · 4mo agoComing this August! Military Welfare History since the Eighteenth Century: War and Welfare. This is the second publication, and the first edited volume, from the Military Welfare History Network. link.springer.com/book/9783032... #milwelfhist #military #welfare
Happy Passover to all who celebrate. This year, may we all find ways, large and small, to bring peace and freedom to those who most need it.
Yesterday I got to enjoy @meganahamilton.bsky.social's excellent paper on learning and innovation in the SWW. Today I'm listening to @milhistcurator.bsky.social , @mhptpodcast.bsky.social and @amyjay401.bsky.social on making military history accessible and connecting people with the past #SMH2026
As always, seriously great writing from Phil Klay. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/22/o...
Opinion | Trump Has Made a Fundamental Miscalculation about Iran
nytimes.com